Quick connect fluid couplings are well-known in the art and these devices generally consist of a male coupling member or plug provided with an annular groove on its circumference and a female quick connect fluid coupling assembly or socket provided with ball bearings received within tapered cross holes and a locking collar which is normally biased to a position where the collar maintains the ball bearings within the groove on the plug. One well-known prior art socket is the Jiffy-Matic socket which is provided with an axially compressible coupling seal and which is also provided with a check valve which opens automatically when a plug is received within the socket and which shuts off automatically when disconnected. This form of socket has received widespread acceptance within the industry as the socket is not only reliable in operation but provides an extended life because the coupling seal is replaceable. However, in order to service the seal, it is necessary to disconnect the hose stem portion of the socket from the main body portion. To this end, it is necessary to provide coarse pipe threads on both the hose stem and main body, and it is additionally necessary to provide suitable flats which can be engaged by a wrench to facilitate the turning of the stem with respect to the main body. It is also a time consuming process to disassemble the socket as it is also necessary to remove the valve stem and valve spring from within the main body before the seal can be picked out of the main body. Thus, as presently designed, the Jiffy-Matic sockets do not permit the skirt of the check valve to be shifted entirely out of the coupling seal when assembled to permit the coupling seal to be withdrawn. Also, it is necessary to utilize initial main body and hose stem stock of greater diameter when providing turning flats on the main body and hose stem thus increasing the cost. Also, when reassembling the parts, it is necessary to clean the pipe threads on both the main body and the hose stem and to reapply a new sealant. However, because of the reliable performance of the Jiffy-Matic sockets as well as their greater value due to the replaceable seal, industry has been willing to put up with the inconvenience of the manner in which the seals must be replaced.
Recently, another socket has been introduced which is a nonserviceable design. In this design, the turning flats on the hose stem and the main body have been eliminated thus reducing the cost of these parts, and when the main body and hose stem have been assembled they are bonded together by a thread sealant such as Loctite 620. However, it is not possible to service the coupling seals on these recently introduced sockets and thus, when the coupling seal fails, it is necessary to replace the entire socket.